Window Seal Liquid Diverter for Door Latch Water Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicular seals fail to effectively divert water away from undesired areas, leading to potential freezing issues at door latches, especially in colder climates, as water can inadvertently reach these areas during rainfall or car washing.
Innovation Solution
A window seal design featuring a liquid diverter with a collector and gutter portion, positioned to receive water from the lip of the seal and guide it away from critical areas, such as the door latch, using a configuration that includes an angled second body member and a gutter portion to route water away from the latch area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional seal is used to prevent water entry, then sealing function is provided, but water still reaches undesired areas like door latches causing freezing issues
Solution Approach 1:
The seal is divided into multiple functional body members (first body member for sealing, second body member for water diversion) with distinct responsibilities. The first body member maintains the sealing function while the second body member specifically handles water diversion away from the latch area, resolving the contradiction by segmenting the sealing and water management functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The second body member acts as an intermediary element between the incoming water and the door latch. It intercepts water that would otherwise reach the latch and redirects it through the liquid diverter system, preventing direct contact between water and the latch while maintaining the primary sealing function.
2Ease of manufacture
If the seal structure is simplified, then manufacturing is easier, but water diversion capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid diverter components (collector portion and gutter portion) are merged into a single integrated second body member that is molded as one piece with the first body member. This combining approach provides effective water diversion functionality while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a unified structural design rather than multiple separate components.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the second body member is angled relative to the first body member, then water diversion efficiency is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second body member is positioned at an angle relative to the first body member, introducing a dimensional orientation change that enables effective water diversion. This angular configuration allows the liquid diverter to redirect water away from the latch area by utilizing a different spatial dimension, achieving water diversion efficiency without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces water exposure to the latch, preventing freezing and improving user comfort by ensuring water is diverted from critical vehicle components, enhancing noise, vibration, and harshness characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
The collector portion can be in fluid communication with the gutter portion
Data Source
AI summary
Window seals can be configured to divert water away from an area of the vehicle where the presence of water is not desired, such as a door latch. A window seal can include a first body member and a second body member. The first body member can include a main body and a lip extending from the main body. The lip can include an upper end and a lower end. The second body member can be angled relative to the first body member. The second body member can include a liquid diverter that has a collector portion in fluid communication with a gutter portion. The collector portion can include an inlet opening. The inlet opening can be operatively positioned to receive a liquid from the lower end of the lip, and the gutter portion can route the liquid away from undesired areas.